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Rajya Sabha clears bill to check piracy and content amid Opposition walkout
The Rajya Sabha passed the Cinematography (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to combat film piracy and simplify licensing procedures. The bill also seeks to overhaul age-based certification and categorization of films. It includes provisions for a maximum three-year jail term and fine for those involved in piracy. The bill will now be sent to the Lok Sabha for approval.
The Cinematography (Amendment) Bill, 2023 that aims to curb film piracy and simplify licensing procedure was passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the opposition staged a walkout over its demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation.
Besides tackling film piracy, the bill, which was passed by a voice vote, also aims to overhaul age-based certification provided by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and provide consistency in categorising films and content across platforms.
“Piracy is like cancer and this government has decided to eradicate it through this bill,” Information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Anurag Thakur said while starting the discussion on the bill, which aims to make amendments to the Cinematograph Act, 1952. “The bill has been brought to stop the loss of ₹20,000 crore, which occurs due to piracy. The legislation also takes care of the long-standing demand of the film industry.”
The bill has a provision of a maximum three-year jail term and fine up to 5% of the production cost of a film for those making pirated copies of movies. It also proposes to allow the CBFC grant certificate to films with perpetual validity by doing away with the 10-year validity period. The legislation also seeks to introduce three age-based certifications under ‘UA’ category —’UA 7+’, ‘UA 13+’ and ‘UA 16+’ — and to empower the CBFC to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its exhibition on television or other media.
The I&B minister said the bill is an important one considering the last major amendment of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 came in 1984. The bill will now be sent to the Lok Sabha for its passage.
“Almost four decades have passed and there have been a lot of technological developments, viewership of films has gone up and the standing of Indian films on the global stage has risen,” Thakur said, amid sloganeering by the opposition members who demanded a discussion on the Manipur issue.
When given an opportunity to speak on the bill, leader of opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “I want to talk about the bill and also what is in my heart.” As he tried to bring up Manipur issue, it was disallowed by deputy chairman Harivansh, saying he should restrict himself to speaking on the bill as per rules of the House.
Subsequently, the opposition members walked out of the House even as it continued discussion on the bill.
“When we are bringing an amendment after 40 years in a big way, after witnessing the behaviour of the opposition it seems that they are neither in favour of the film industry nor for the emergence of India as a soft power through films,” the I&B minister said.
